Tools

Movies, generally, are not particularly introspective about the
building blocks of romantic relationships. And (500) Days of
Summer is the kind of independent romantic comedy that, at first
glance, might seem like it's going to be insufferable.

Director Marc Webb, a 1996 Colorado College graduate and a guy better known for music videos, trots out
more than a few visual quirks. The very premise — following the
arc of a relationship out of chronological order — seems fraught
with gimmicky dangers. But no matter how goofy the film gets at
individual moments, it becomes fairly irresistible for one simple
reason: When it comes to understanding heartbreak and the roles of our
different relationships, it's almost painfully wise.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Tom, a romantic soul writing
platitudes for a Los Angeles greeting-card company, despite being
educated as an architect. Into his life steps his boss' assistant,
Summer (Zooey Deschanel), inspiring an instant infatuation. She's cute!
She digs the Smiths! She's the kind of girl who makes shopping at IKEA
delightful! So what if she claims she doesn't believe in love?

The opening narration makes it clear that our lovebirds will not
have a happily-ever-after; it flips to Tom and Summer's breakup before
we even begin to think of them as a couple. And while swinging between
their happy couplehood and Tom's despair might have come off as an
unnecessary contrivance, breaking the story this way allows Webb and
screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber to build a thematic
framework: the notion that most people think of their relationships in
those bits and pieces.

And many of those bits and pieces are simply glorious. One hilarious
montage finds a blissed-out Tom flitting around the office, solving
creative blocks with pithy heartfelt sentiments; another sequence turns
the morning after Tom and Summer's first sexual encounter into a fully
choreographed production number set to Hall & Oates' "You Make My
Dreams." And if you're not won over at the outset by the brilliantly
bitter opening "disclaimer," you're a hard audience to please.

But as charming as (500) Days of Summer may be when it's
funny, it's even better when it's poignant. Gordon-Levitt continues to
prove himself as a young actor with an impressive range, and he's
wonderful as a guy immersed in every emotional moment. Deschanel might
actually have an even tougher challenge, as she works to sell Summer's
commitment issues without turning her into an ice queen. Together, they
find a perfect pitch for two achingly wonderful late scenes: the
wedding of a mutual friend at which they reconnect; and a party that
splits the screen between an outcome Tom hopes for, and what actually
transpires.

It's in these moments that (500) Days of Summer turns
damn-near profound. Most romantic comedies deal with the wacky
complications of winding up with The One; this one takes on the tougher
task of understanding The One That Got Away and the fact that lasting
romantic happiness probably never comes without first surviving a few
deep battle scars.

It's a bit of a shame that Webb and company overplay the quirky at
times. They give Tom a wise-beyond-her-years pre-teen sister (Chloe
Moretz), a jerky best friend (Geoffrey Arend), and a vaguely oblivious
boss (Clark Gregg). Still, (500) Days of Summer manages to be
both uproarious and wistful by doing what those other romantic comedies
so rarely do: telling the truth.